"Chapter 1: The Strange Pendant

The night was still, the moon bright.

Under the moonlight, a young boy stood gazing blankly at the full moon.

Suddenly, a streak of silvery light shattered the tranquility. Excitement flashing in his eyes, the boy cried out and dashed toward where the silver light had fallen...

""BOOM!!!""

After the deafening roar, the previously quiet night returned to peace.

What about the boy?

He had already reached the impact site.

Before him lay a crater nearly eight to nine meters deep.

The boy quickly scrambled down into the pit, convinced there must be a treasure at its center!

Sure enough, he discovered a pendant, missing its chain.

The pendant was entirely silver, emitting a faint silvery glow. It was shaped like a musical note, its surface inlaid with nine small, transparent gems. An ancient symbol was carved onto each gemstone. Just one glance told anyone this was no ordinary object!

The boy joyfully picked up the pendant and skipped away.

""Mom! Look! I found a treasure!! Just like in my dream!!"" the boy yelled the moment he entered the house.

""Young Master, slow down! Careful not to fall,"" a servant rushed to catch him.

""Xiao Mie, you're back!"" A beautiful young woman and a handsome middle-aged man emerged from inside the house.

""Mhm! Mom, look! I found a treasure! Just like the one I dreamed about~!"" the boy exclaimed excitedly to the young woman.

She was the boy's mother, You Rou Xin, the sole wife of the Guardian Prince of the Dragon Kingdom and the daughter of the current Prime Minister.

""Xiao Mie, come show Father what treasure you've found,"" said the middle-aged man. He was the boy's father, Ling Yun Can, the Guardian Prince of the Dragon Kingdom and younger brother to the King.

And the boy? He was Ling Yun Can's second son—Ying Mie Can.

Ying Mie obediently handed the pendant to Ling Yun Can.

Ling Yun Can took the pendant and examined it, then asked his son with a smile, ""Xiao Mie, are you sure this is exactly like the one you saw in your dream?""

Ying Mie grinned triumphantly. ""Of course! I never tell big tales!""

Ling Yun Can thought for a moment, then said, ""Alright then. Since you found it, this pendant belongs to you now.""

Ying Mie Can happily took back the pendant. ""Thank you, Father!"" he said before rushing off to bed, beaming.

Ying Mie loved the pendant so much that he wore it constantly.

That night, Ying Mie fell asleep excitedly, blissfully unaware of what happened next: the pendant, and Ying Mie himself, hovered suspended in the air. A soft, silvery light emanated from his entire body...

……

One day, the following year, Ying Mie buried himself in his usual pile of books, engrossed in a text about magic arrays that interested him.

After reading a while, he felt compelled to test a particular defensive array. Gathering a few magic crystals, he headed to the training ground Ling Yun had built for his two sons.

Ying Mie first drew intricate patterns on the ground, then carefully embedded the magic crystals within the array's design.

He expected the array to function like any standard defensive ward. However, something unexpected occurred…

The light from the activated array should have been white or yellow. Instead, it pulsed with a dazzling, brilliant silver radiance. Ying Mie stood frozen, stunned by the spectacle.

He immediately deactivated the magic array and returned to his study, determined to find the cause.

About two hours later, Ying Mie emerged from his study looking disappointed. He sighed heavily and pouted, muttering to himself, ""What's going on? I looked through every book, and none mention this phenomenon!""

As he finished speaking, his thoughts instinctively turned to his pendant—it, too, emitted a silvery glow.

He placed the pendant aside, carefully set up the same array again, and activated it. The light was normal this time—no trace of silver. Ying Mie now knew the pendant had something strange about it.

He thought about asking someone, but his desire to figure it out himself won out. He decided to keep this secret locked away.

All day, Ying Mie's mind churned with thoughts about the strange pendant.

You Rou Xin, noticing her son's distraction, asked with concern, ""Xiao Mie, is something troubling you?""

Ying Mie Can snapped out of his reverie at his mother's voice, though his thoughts still seemed elsewhere. ""It's nothing much,"" he replied distractedly. ""Just a problem with a magic array I can't quite figure out.""

Seeing her son so intensely focused, You Rou felt a pang of motherly worry. ""Xiao Mie, it's good to be serious about your studies, but everything needs balance. Don't push yourself too hard.""

After wrestling with the problem for a long time without progress, Ying Mie decided to let it go for now. He smiled at You Rou. ""Oh, I know. I'll be careful.""

Ling Yun Can, standing nearby, smiled gently at You Rou. ""It's good that our son loves to delve into things, Rou'er. Don't try to stop him."" Though he smiled, a hint of concern flickered beneath the surface.

At his father's words, Ying Mie immediately plunged back into his studies.

You Rou shot a mildly reproachful look at Ling Yun. ""Look what you did! I'd just gotten him to step back a little, and now you've sent him back to being lost in his head.""

Ling Yun put on an innocent face. ""Wrongly accused! Even if I hadn't said anything, Xiao Mie's nature would have driven him to keep pondering."" He paused, then sighed softly, his expression tinged with regret as he looked at You Rou. ""It's a pity he isn't like his older brother... unable to cultivate our Can family's martial arts."" The fact that Ying Mie's unique constitution prevented him from practicing the family's martial legacy remained a source of deep regret for Ling Yun.

While Ying Mie possessed extraordinary talent for magic, the Can family were warriors, masters of martial arts. Only those who mastered the Can family's heritage, the *Can God Art*, could vie for the position of family head. Although Ying Mie hid his feelings well, he was still just a boy. Seeing his older brother train in the family techniques while his own body forbade him was inevitably painful.

However, the saying ""When God closes one door, He opens another"" held true. Ying Mie Can's magical talent was nothing short of peerless. By the tender age of eleven, he had already reached the level of an Intermediate Mage. Fortunately, news of this achievement had been diligently contained by Ling Yun. Otherwise, the thresholds of the Can family estate would have been worn down by Archmages and Grand Magi from across the continent, all clamoring to take Ying Mie as their disciple.

What Ling Yun and the others hadn't yet realized was that Ying Mie's power had undergone a qualitative leap. He had long surpassed the Intermediate Mage realm, becoming an Advanced Mage—and not just any Advanced Mage, but one who had reached the peak of that stage, teetering on the brink of breaking through to become a Grand Mage.

Had Ling Yun known this truth, he likely would have fallen clean off his chair.

Ying Mie's magical talent was indeed legendary. Yet, no one stopped to question: how could *anyone*, regardless of talent, reach the level of an Advanced Mage by eleven, let alone stand poised to become a Grand Mage? The answer lay with that strange pendant.

Night after night, when Ying Mie slept and the world grew quiet, the pendant caused him to levitate in mid-air. During these times, a dazzling silvery light radiated from his entire body.

But what *was* this pendant? And what earth-shattering changes was it destined to bring to Ying Mie Can's life? That is a tale for later. For now, it's clear that this pendant enabled a boy of merely eleven to reach the cusp of Grand Mage power. Its origin was undoubtedly extraordinary. It was destined for greatness."